Mikhail Prokorov Will ‘Crush’ Mark Cuban if He Signs Deron Williams

Hilariously, the rights to Deron Williams’ services once he becomes a free agent this summer, may have to be won over a kickboxing fight between two billionaires. That is, according to a joking (we think) Mikhail Prokhorov. From the NY Daily News: “Speaking in front of the Barclays Center construction site on Tuesday – his first media appearance since cancelling the Carmelo Anthony trade negotiations last January – Prokhorov issued a playful warning to Cuban for chasing Deron Williams in free agency. ‘Let the best man win,’ Prokhorov said. ‘If he wins, I will crush him with the kickboxing throwdown.’ Although Prokhorov made the comment in jest, he’s taking the issue of retaining Williams seriously. The Russian oligarch said he met with Williams on Monday, drawing a conclusion that “we’re on the same page.” Prokhorov stopped short of saying he’s confident Williams will re-sign, however. ‘We have I think we have a very good discussion,’ Prokhorov said. ‘He really wants to win. And I want to win maybe even more. Really I don’t want to go into details. But really I think at this stage, we are on the same page.’ The Nets can offer Williams an extra year and about $30 million more than the Mavericks. But returning to Dallas – Williams’ hometown — is an attractive option, with Cuban acting as the catalyst. ‘I think he wants to win and he wants to be part of a great franchise,’ Prokhorov said. ‘We have the same view on this. And I can’t comment more. It’s better to ask him what was our conversation. I mean what I already mentioned.’”